Two mules out for a stroll rudely interrupted by Stearns County Sheriff’s Office

Are you thinking of indulging in a brisk post-dawn trot to feel the fresh air on your skin and the snow under your hooves? Not in Stearns County you won’t.

Two mules were enjoying a sunrise perambulation around 72-year-old Dean Suter’s farm in Crow Lake Township yesterday when they were discourteously intercepted and escorted home.

Suter noticed the donkey-esque duo bothering no one at all while having their morning constitutional around 8:18 a.m. He managed to nudge them into a paddock near his barn, and gave them some hay and water, which the mules politely enjoyed, because… they’re mules.

But the unsuspecting couple would soon find this stranger’s act of kindness was nothing of the sort: Suter called the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office.

For a few tense hours it wasn’t certain what would happen to the pair. Suter “was unsure where the mules came from as he is not aware of anyone in the area who owns mules.”

Eventually, their home address was confirmed and the two graciously agreed to return, commenting that they had “really enjoyed that hay” and would likely be back, despite the brusque ending to their otherwise pleasant outing.